Donald Trump's Ballroom Ego Project Sparks Fresh Wave Of Hate & Amps Up The Grifter Allegations

In July 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he would be building himself a big, beautiful ballroom. Bemoaning the small size of the current grounds, Trump immediately began breaking ground on the 90,000 square foot structure. However, the plans continued to shift at a rapid pace, and Trump found himself immediately caught in a lie over what, exactly, was going on. After initially promising that the ballroom wouldn't impact the East Wing, in August, it was announced that the East Wing and East Colonnade would be torn down to make way for the expansive design. By October, the East Wing was demolished. While this has rankled many, the changing price tag of the passion project is also getting people to talk.

During a December 16 Hanukkah event at the White House, the president took time away from the festivities to bring up his precious ballroom. Trump revealed that the cost of the renovations will now be $400 million, which is double the initial quote of $200 million that was given in July. "Myself and donors ... we're donating a building that's approximately $400 million," Trump said, verifying that he's not funding the project entirely by himself. Several big companies, from Apple to Amazon, have lined up to toss money at Trump's new design passion, but even with all the private cash funding the project, many are calling out what they perceive to be some serious grifting.

There's much to bemoan about Donald Trump's ballroom plans. Though he wants it to be used for major functions and events like inaugurations, the National Park Service estimates it won't be done until 2028, when Trump is (maybe) on his way out of the White House. Beyond this, the rising costs of the unnecessary project have made the general public a bit antsy and resentful. One person on X, formerly Twitter, captured the collective cultural anxiety by pointing out that Trump's over-budget blunder comes "as Americans' health care premiums are set to triple in the next few weeks."

The rising price tag has caused some people to claim that Trump is seemingly not upfront with the American people, with one person sharing a video on X of the president from months prior in which he contradicted everything about the ballroom. In the video, Trump stated that the ballroom would cost $200 million (it won't), would be built quickly (it won't), and that it "won't interfere with the existing building" and will "pay total respect to it" (that building has been partially demolished).

$200M to $400M and we're nowhere near Ballroom's completion. If this doesn't convince people that Trump is a compulsive liar, nothing will pic.twitter.com/NOc4ZoNL52

— JeSuisCH🏒BleuBlancRouge (@HabsHappy) December 17, 2025

"If this doesn't convince people that Trump is a compulsive liar, nothing will," the person wrote on X. Another person pointed to one of Trump's biggest insecurities — crowd size — by writing on X, "The only reason Trump wants a ballroom for an inauguration is because he is so insanely jealous he'll never ever ever see a crowd like this one," followed by a photo of Barack Obama's inauguration. Of course, plans change throughout construction, but with the project nowhere near complete, it's safe to assume the cost will continue to skyrocket, while the general public waits for some semblance of accountability.